CH 192

Unuttered Denial [Part 1]

The next day, the three siblings began their all-out research on how to defeat Over. They collected many materials from the academy’s library, which boasted the largest collection of books in the Kingdom, and made monster karuta. They tried to boil, burn, pound, cut, and did everything they could think of to the Over stem that Melsa had brought back, but all failed.

“Nee-sama… We… are at a complete loss, aren’t we?”

William collapsed on the table and complained weakly.

“I already can’t feel or move my hands anymore, y’know?”

George, who had been cutting and pounding the Over stem with swords and rods, knitted his brows as he looked at his trembling hands.

“The Over is completely unscathed… huh…”

Emma sighed as she picked up the Over stem that had rolled between the pieces of broken swords and sticks, and observed it.

“It will still be difficult, even if we manage to find Over’s parent plant.”

Although the theory that was stated in every document was to aim for the parent plant if the plant-type monster had multiplied. This became tricky in Over’s case, since even one clump could hardly be destroyed.

Besides, how could they tell the difference between the parent plant and the offspring? The materials they gathered didn’t contain the most crucial information.

“The katana from Imperial Japan which can cut this thing was seriously too amazing… This sword, and this too, cost a lot of money, y’know?”

Unable to put a single scratch on it, George lost heart again.

“…Even though this thing can make us a lot of money if it can be processed… What a shame…” Emma muttered.

If this bamboo-like Over could be processed, it would surely become a versatile material.

♠♠♠

The three siblings had come to understand some things from their daily research.

When they boiled Over in seawater, the mucus turned into drops and emerged from the cut end. That mucus functioned as a natural adhesive and could perfectly attach a piece of Over to another.

“You know, this… If we put food ingredients inside the Over, put a lid on, and boil it… We can make preserved food that will last for a long time, don’t you think?”

The thermal conductivity of Over was close to that of metal. It could even be used as an iron plate for barbecue (as tested and proved by the siblings. Further testimony: the meat grilled on the Over-pan was delicious).

“Ahh… It’ll probably have an antibacterial function too, since it’s similar to bamboo.” William sounded his agreement with Emma while flipping through the materials on the table.

Over that had turned sticky from the mucus was strong against vertically applied force and couldn’t be joined together with other pieces easily. But as it was weaker against pressure from the sides, they would be able to seal and unseal it with ease if they pieced it with a lid by applying force in a twisting motion.

In other words,

“Even though we can make canned cat food if we have this…”

Canned cat food… If they developed canned cat food in this world, they could make portable rations with a long shelf life.

If they had to go out of the barrier to search for the plant-type monster’s parent plant, even with a party of hunters, who were experts in monster hunting, only a few of them would be able to make it back intact and alive. The Empire’s magician had also lost his life from a monster attack when he went out of the barrier to find the parent plant. 

The enemy on the other side of the barrier was not only monsters. The matter of securing water, food supplies, and a place to rest could all decide their life and death.

Portable rations with a long shelf life would surely become an item that would increase every hunter’s survival rate.

It was written in several documents that if the parent plant was defeated, the propagated plant-type monsters would all wither at once.

However, Emma didn’t think that with the short time they had left, they would be able to find the parent plant, which couldn’t even be located by magicians and the most skilled samurais equipped with katanas that could slash through Over. Searching for the parent plant was not a good plan considering the limited manpower and time.

“Geez, we should just improve Over’s nutritional status like crazy, then after it grows three times its current size, the seeds will naturally fly further, and well… who knows if it will end up landing in the sea…”

Emma, who had started to find brainstorming tiresome, mumbled.

“Oh, Nee-sama, c’mon… How can it be that easy… Huh? …Wait, that might actually work?”

“Hey, Emma, you said nutritional status… Do you think Over will just grow huge in an instant… No, actually… it’s possible, huh…”

The brothers couldn’t refute Emma’s careless remark.

“EMMAAA!!!”

The siblings could hear their mother yelling for Emma from the garden. That was no doubt how she sounded when angry.

Emma, George, and William, who always had a guilty conscience towards their mother, jolted and started shaking uncontrollably.

“EMMA!!! GEORGE!!! WILLIAM!!! EXPLAIN YOURSELVES!!!”